Blinking DC Christmas Lights

Maybe a 555 and a relay?

Good Luck! Rich

Somehow the question made me think he wanted something off the shelf.

You used to be able to get adapters that would flash lights that were plugged in. Not much more than a pair of prongs on one side, and an outlet on the other, and you'd plug your Christmas tree lights into that. I gather something would heat up, which would then cause a contact to open, at which point it would cool down and the contact would close again, causing power to flow and not flow to the outlet. COmpletely mechanical.

So you get one of those, then an AC adapter that puts out the needed DC voltage. Plug the flasher into the wall, plug the AC adapter into the flasher, then connect the AC adapter's output to the string of bulbs, making sure polarity is correct if it needs to be.

Michael

I have an almost irresistible urge to demolish blinking Christmas lights.

Stupid irritating things.

Is there a chance that you might see his tree from where you are?

Tom

Michael Black wrote:

When I got mine in the '70s, they cost ~$1 each. Look what the guy wants for one now:

The current draw will affect the rate, of course.

Putting 39° 15' 7" N, 121° 2' 32" W into Google Earth.... Not unless I can borrow time on the Hubble scope :)

Nice place by the way !!

After Radio Shack retires all their components, then I will stop making my simple circuits.

Pull one of the LED's from it's socket and replace it with a blinking LED from RS.

• * * *

Christopher

Temecula CA.USA

Yes, commercially available. I asked at our local h/w store where I had bought the lights the year before. Nothing available.

Please, by all means, buy some from your local h/w store and do it, if you feel the need.

I'm not sure that would work in the sockets I have. If they do, two of them are probably more than I paid for the entire string.